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The Forest of Westmorland
Back water, cold and clear, will never clear your wounds, There is none but the Witch of the Westmorland who can make you hale and sound. - A verse from the popular Northern Folk Song, "The Witch of the Westmorland". Stupid wood people. Wouldn't let me into their fancy forest. Can't imagine why. = - Atmos Slibard, furious over his rejection from lecturing in the Forest due to a premonition that his arrival would bring disaster on all in the woods. = Deep within the centre of the North, in the state of Craobhaile, lies the mysterious Westmorland (pronounced West-meir) forest, an enchanted woods often seen as the living embodiment of the old fairy stories of yore. Sometimes called the Forbidden Forest, but this is mostly done to scare off poachers and those who wish to bring harm to the woods. It is a widely seen as the most beautiful forest in the world, filled with treants, centaurs, unicorns, Northern Dryads, magical creatures, and above all- the fey folk. All live in the forest under the material protection of four cities, Pentrefdail Cudd, Dinas Goedwig, Trefblodau, and Cathforiar, and under the divine protection of the god Cernunnos, the Fey Queen Orania, and the hooded hero Hern the Hunter (a role that is passed down from one great hero to another). The forest is inhabited primarily by small villages of humans, dwarves, orcs, and wood elves in addition to its fantastical inhabitants. The forest is sprawling and one that a person can easily get lost in without proper assistance (and with some of the less pleasant fey folk, this is often intentional). It exudes magical energy and is often seen as a major site for the gods to mingle in the physical world. Its seasons are random and unnatural, based firmly on the whims of its inhabitants. The plants and ecology of the forest is also unique due to all the magical energy as they are often alive (albeit not sentient like treants) and move about with a will of their own. The forest is most famous for its magic-using inhabitants, the witches of Westmorland. These fey-touched beings have powers unheard of to even the most skilled magic users, being regarded as the greatest healers and summoners in the world. They include elves, centaurs, humans, and even dwarves. They are mysterious, capricious at times, vague, but ultimately good and well-meaning people who wish to help people. In the past, people sought them for aid and help. Now, many come to learn from them, thanks to establishment of a college of magic. Unlike most colleges of magic and study, this is in appearance one of the smallest and most spread out, but also often spreads into the realm of the fey. While it is largely isolated from politics and wars of the south, the witches and fey have been noticing bizarre cosmological phenomenon across the forest and have been struggling to comprehend it. They are currently assembling a council to determine what is to be done. Category:World